Marking device



F. S. SPEICHER MARKING DEVICE July 26, 1932.

Filed Aug. 22. 1929 77 uvvgvroa BY M 7' ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 26, 1932 .UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK S. SPEICI-IER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 IvI. E. CUNNING- HAM COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA MIARKING DEVICE Application filed August 22, 1929. Serial No. 387,658.

This invention relates to improvements in marking devices embodying stamping heads and it more particularly relates to a stamping head for odd or selective marking.

In marking laundry tags, gloves, shoes or the like, it is desirable to have a stamping head which may be utilized for applying different combinations of numbers, or numbers and letters. Present constructions are inadequate for this class of work for the reason that they require considerable manipulat on of parts and interchanging of the marking characters for each difierent marking.

It is a prime object of this invention to provide a stamping head for odd or selective marking of simple and efficient construction embodying means for obtaining different combinations of characters without interchanging of parts.

A further object is to provide a plurality of character-bearing members mounted in the head and means for arbitrarily securing said members for stamping, and releasing them individually, for changing the marking.

Additional objects are to provide a simple and efficient construction, and one which may be manufactured at a minimum cost.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a stamping head embodying my invention;

Fig. 2, a vertical section of a portion thereof;

Fig. 3, an end elevation; and

Fig. 4:, a cross section on the line IVIV of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the stamping head as illustrated and as preferred includes a body portion 2 having depending spacedapart members 3 formed with aligned openings 4; said openings being adapted to receive a rotatable shaft or spindle 5 shown entered therein. Mounted on the said spindle between the members 3, I provide a plurality of character-bearing members or disks 6. It will be understood that these members may be of any desired number and configuration,

depending on the work for which the head is to be used.

Spindle 5 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 7 adapted to receive friction ceive knurled hand wheels 13, pinned thereto, as at 14.

The outer surfaces of the members or disks 6 are formed with spaced-apart projections 15, providing transverse slots or grooves 16 therebetween. Marking characters such as letters or numbers are formed on'the projections 15, as indicated at a. Obviously, the members 6' may be provided with any suitable combination of characters for the type'of work to be marked.

The upper portion of the head 2 is provided with an opening 2a extending therethrough, parallel to the axis of the spindle 5. Slidablypositioned therein, is a bar 17 having knurled handles 18 at its ends. Said bar is formed with a depending longitudinal projection. or key 19 adapted to engage the slots or grooves 16 of the members 6, as shown. The key .19 is cut away as at 20, midway of its length for a purpose hereinafter more fully described.

The bar 17 projects beyond the head 2 at each end thereof a sufiicie'nt distance to permitthe cut away portion 20 to traverse the pluralityof members 6 positionedon each side of a blank disk 6a. A slight recess 21 in the 17, in'cooperation with a ball 22 and spring 23 secured in the bodyportion 2, serves to'center said bar in the head.

A threaded stud 24 projects from the upper surface of the head 'for receiving an operating handle 25. Also, when desired the head may be secured in a stamping machine by means of the stud 24.

In operation, it will be seen that the key 17 normally secures the members 6 against iii) rotation. The projections 15 and slots 16 are arranged diametrically opposite, so that when the parts are assembled, a row of projections bearing the characters to be used in marking are positioned in alignment at the lowermost point on the stamping head. WVhen it is necessary to change the characters to be stamped, the bar 17 may be moved laterally until the cut away portion 20 straddles a member 6. Then by rotating the spindle 5 by means of hand wheel 13, the member 6 straddled by the cut away portion 20 will be rotated to the desired position, by reason of the frictional contact of its block 8 in the spindle.

To facilitate the changing of the members 6, their slots 16 are marked with the characters appearing on the projections 15, in such a manner as to be viewed through an opening 26 of a plate 27, secured to the front of the stamping head. Thus, as in Fig. 1, the row of characters appearing through the opening 26, indicate the stamping characters positioned in readiness for marking.

The plate 27 is also provided with a row of indicia, as at 28, immediately above and in the center of the respective members 6. A pointer or indicator 29 is secured in the cutaway portion 20 of the key 19, passes through the opening 26 in plate-27 and is bent thereover to a point beneath the indicia, to indicate the position of the cut away portion 20 with respect to the members 6, for rotation of the latter.

I claim:

1. A stamping head having a body portion, a rotatable spindle carried by the body portion, a longitudinal slot in said spindle, a plurality of rectangular friction blocks resilij ently mounted in said slot, a plurality of character-bearing members on the spindle each engaging a friction block, means for securing the character-bearing members in alinement, and means for individually releasing said members for rotation thereof by a rotation of the spindle. v

2. A stamping head having a body portion, a rotatable spindle carried by the body portion, a longitudinal slot in said spindle, a plurality of friction blocks in the slot havlng outer curved friction surfaces, a plurality of springs for said blocks, a plurality of character-bearing members on the spindle, each engaging the curved surface of a friction block, means for securing the characterbearing members in alinement, and means for individually releasing said members for rotation thereof by means of the spindle and a friction block.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK S. SPEICHER. 

